


Monachopsis

by g0thiclix



Series: Heresy [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Character Turned Into Vampire, Death, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Vampire Turning, Vampires, not at how im clicking on all the vampire tags, there will be a lot of blood its a vampire story after all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:36:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29769411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g0thiclix/pseuds/g0thiclix
Summary: To follow the steps of his father, Jisung decided to become a doctor. The Wallachia University, however, is way different than he had expected and he can't help but notice that there's something odd about the castle, the city, and the people altogether.Everything changes when the vice-director is murdered mysteriously during the Winter Ball, and Jisung realizes that there's way more than meets the eye. The secrets hidden within the walls unravel before him, revealing a dark, twisted reality and, to survive, Jisung has to decide between his heritage and his truth.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix
Series: Heresy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187951
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Monachopsis

**Author's Note:**

> this story is dedicated to my dear friend jasmine, who asked for a simple vampire smut and got a full length angst dramatic murder mystery fanfiction instead (I got a bit carried away)
> 
> first and foremost I have to warn you that there will be explicit descriptions of blood, wounds, and violence etc. In case these are sensitive topics for you, I recomend you stop reading.
> 
> but if you're into this kind of thing just as much as me, I hope you enjoy!

The sky was covered by dark clouds, so dense sunlight could barely pass through, making that morning feel like a dark end of a winter afternoon. A cold breeze made Jisung’s entire body shiver. He was aware that the region was colder than the Capital, but could never imagine that he would have to wear thicker coats in the middle of spring.

Jisung observed the angel statue sitting on top of a fountain in front of the entrance. The figure had its head down, its hands together over the chest, and a painful expression as if it was praying. He looked quite lonely.

The boy turned around to observe the rest of the place. The castle that stood on top of the hill looked just like the ones in a horror tale with walls covered by ivies and towers rising like claws pointing to the sky. The boy felt like if he looked closely at the narrow windows, he would be able to see some creature lurking in the shadows. When he applied to that university, he had no idea of how sinister that place was. If he knew, he would’ve certainly chosen a different institution.

Jisung sighed. Perhaps he was reading too much fiction.

He didn’t have many options but to accept that situation, so, Jisung grabbed his luggage and walked towards the front door. The doors looked way taller now that he was so close, probably around nine to ten feet tall, if his mathematics were accurate, they were made of thick wood, darkened from time, just like the iron bars that held it together. The golden doorknobs were huge, almost the size of a human head, and had the shape of a lion holding a snake between its teeth. The lion’s eyes looked way too lively. Jisung knocked three times.

The doors opened, revealing the entrance hall. It was spacious, as expected from a castle that size, but there was not a single soul in there. Jisung looked around, uncertain if he should keep going on his own, or if he should wait for someone else. Immense columns sustained the vaulted ceiling from where fancy, large chandeliers hang. Jisung had never been to a luxurious place like that before.

In the center of the hall, there was another statue. This one was taller than the one in the fountain and less affected by the weather. The angel looked down, its hand up and wings spread open, its stone eyes stared at Jisung as if they had a secret no one had any idea about. The boy looked away and observed his surroundings, still very impressed by the expensive decoration. There were vases, armors, portraits, tapestry, a whole world of relics.

“Hello.” said someone.

Startled, Jisung turned around to see a boy standing near him. He looked young, no older than eighteen. He had a nice smile on his thin lips.

“Hello,” Jisung said then.

“You must be Lord Han Jisung if I’m correct.”.

“Yes, I am, and you are…”

“I’m Yang Jeongin. I was designated to guide you through the castle and help you settle down.” the other answered. “Your room is this way, please follow me.”. 

Jisung then followed Jeongin through the long hallways of the castle, paying attention to every detail of the way; however, all hallways looked the same, even with all the paintings and sculptures scattered around, like a labyrinth. 

“I suppose you must be impressed by the size of this castle,” Jeongin said, noticing the perplexed expression on the boy’s face. “It's comprehensible. It took almost an “entire century to build it. It has numerous corridors, stairways, tunnels, rooms… It’s simply immense.!”.

“Wouldn’t it be appropriate to have a map of this place? At least for the newcomers…” Jisung asked.

“Oh, unfortunately, there isn’t a map of the castle! Sir Parker, the genius architect behind this masterpiece did not leave any record of his projects… I believe the only option left is to try to memorize your way to your classes and nothing more, even after all these years living here, I still manage to get lost!” Jeongin laughed, his smile unsettling Jisung, somehow. “Oh, I forgot to mention, do not pay attention to any of the ghost stories people like to tell the newcomers, they’re just some stupid folklore.”.

“Oh, ghost stories, I don’t really mind them. I found them quite entertaining.” Jisung said.

“Then you might enjoy the story about Sir Parker…”.

“What does it say?”.

“They say he died inside the castle, lost and forever trapped within the walls of his creation, haunting the hallways of the north wing, where his body is supposedly buried.”.

Jisung shivered. He convinced himself it was just some air current, nothing to worry about.

Jeongin quickly changed the subject, talking about the structure in itself, frequently stopping to explain the importance of a certain object, like a three hundred year armor or a painting from a very famous artist, sounding so proud of all of those things almost as if they belonged to him almost like he was the owner of such treasure. The hallways seemed to get longer and longer the more he spoke. Jisung was struggling to pay attention, he did not want to sound rude, but he couldn’t help but to yawn here and there.

After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at a common room. There were a fireplace and a few armchairs and a staircase that led to the next floor.

“Your room is this way,” Jeongin said, walking up the first steps.

Jisung’s room was at the end of a corridor. It was cozy and spacious, with a bed right under the window, a small desk, a wardrobe, and its own fireplace with two red armchairs in front of it. Jisung noticed a few marks on the stone walls, like scratches and small cracks from all the people that lived there before him.

“I hope you like this room. It was prepared specially for you.” Jeongin told him. “If there’s anything you need or that you would like to change, just tell me and I’ll provide it right away.”.

“There’s nothing I want to change. This is perfect for me.” Jisung assured him.

“Dinner is served at seven o’clock, the curfew is at ten,” Jeongin explained. “I’ll be here later to accompany you to the dining hall. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”.

“No, there is not. Thank you very much, Lord Yang. I appreciate your help.”.

“You’re welcome, Sir.” Jeongin smiled, showing off his perfectly aligned teeth before leaving.

Jisung stood a few more moments in silence, trying to comprehend what was that strange feeling lingering on the back of his head. He sighed, it was probably just the excitement, and anxiety that comes with being in a new place, and started to organize his belongings. The last thing he took off of his bag was his notebook. He sat down at the desk and took some notes about his day. A few loose pieces of paper and envelopes fell from its cover. He stared at it, thinking if he should write a letter to his father like he’d promised to, or wait until he had something to tell. He chose to wait.

Later, after organizing everything as he pleased, Jisung heard someone knocking on his door. It was Jeongin.

“Good evening, Lord Han. It is time for dinner.” He said.

“Oh, just let me grab my coat.”.

Jisung followed Jeongin through the hallways, this time, talking about trivial matters, like the particularly cold weather of the region. 

The dining hall was way bigger than Jisung had expected. It was just as luxuriously decorated as the rest of the castle, with long windows that started from the ground and touched the ceiling, even bigger chandeliers, and extravagant tapestry. However, everything looked a bit… old, as pretty as it was. 

Jisung sat down next to Jeongin, practically imitating everything he did, trying to learn how to behave. The many tables placed all around the hall were filled with many delicious dishes and the smell was incredible. There was so much food the boy barely knew where to begin. 

Jeongin was talking to other men and Jisung stood quiet, too shy to try to do the same.

“Excuse me, could you pass me the potatoes?” a young man asked.

“Of course. Here it is.” Jisung said, handing him the bowl full of mashed potatoes.

“Thank you. I have never seen you around here before”.

“Oh I’ve just arrived. I’m Han Jisung.”.

“Nice to meet you, Jisung. I’m Felix Lee.” he smiled and Jisung noticed the many freckles on his cheeks. “Welcome!”.

“Thank you.”.

Felix was a very nice young man, rapidly making Jisung feel at ease again. He even invited Jisung to an afternoon tea. During dinner, Jisung learned that Felix was studying law just like him. He also loved animals but didn’t get along with most of them for some reason.

Jisung observed his surroundings, his eyes traveling through the hall, paying attention to everything, realizing how full of people it was. His hands started to sweat. Jisung searched for something familiar, or at least something that could make him feel less out of place. Without realizing it at first, his eyes fell on the figure of a man standing near the doors. He didn’t seem to want to join the others at the dining tables, instead, he just stood there, watching. His eyes met Jisung’s for an instant and Jisung looked away, a bit embarrassed.

Jeongin started to ask him a few questions about his hometown, and he tried to answer them even though he didn’t have much to say. When Jisung looked back at the hall doors, he didn’t see anyone.

When they finished, Felix accompanied Jisung and Jeongin to the common room at the bottom of the staircase on Jisung’s floor, each one making his way to their own rooms.

Jisung laid on the bed, but couldn’t close his eyes. Even though he was tired from the long day he had, his mind was so turbulent that falling asleep was now a challenge. His shoulders were still tense from the strange feeling of uneasiness that had been lingering on the back of his head all day.

The boy then sat on his desk, opening his notebook. Writing down his thoughts had always helped him put everything in place, and just like that, after writing it all down, he was finally calm.

Before laying on the bed again, he noticed a wooden cross right above the headboard. Staring at the crucified image of Jesus for a moment, Jisung felt something pierce through his heart and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and hiding under his duvet, falling asleep.

†

The first few days went by in the blink of an eye. There was a lot to do, to learn, and to adapt to, Jisung barely had time to think about anything else but his textbooks. Jeongin was always around when he needed help, and Felix would always come up with some unusual ideas to have fun in their free time. All seemed to be fine, all evidence pointing to a good year in Jisung’s life, and he really needed one.

However, there was this odd feeling which he could not get rid of. This uneasiness, this… Anguish. Jisung believed that those feelings were caused by the most recent events in his life, prior to his arrival at the castle, and imagined that they would eventually go away. An open wound needed time to heal, right?

That afternoon, the sky didn’t have as many clouds as it usually did. Jisung trapped a butterfly in a glass dome. The butterfly was beautiful and seemed to be of a rare species, Jisung had never seen any specimen like that; its wings were large and were of a deep, intense red and had small patterns that looked like tiny eyes. He spent a long time sketching her in his notebook. The sun was already setting when he finished, setting the butterfly free and watching her fly through the mist, observing how the red wings stood out amongst the clouds.

Jisung turned to the desk once again. He needed to write a letter to his cousin, he had many things to tell.

_ “Dear Jiwoo, _

_ How have you been? Pardon me for not writing as soon as I got here, I wanted to wait until I had more interesting things to tell. _

_ When I stepped out of the carriage and saw the castle, I immediately thought about how much you would adore this place. The castle is gigantic, the gardens are twice the size of the gardens at the Manor and there’s a lake near the property. At the end of the hill, past the forest, there’s a beach. It’s almost hidden, I only saw it last week from the top of the tower. People don’t go there often, I haven’t visited it myself yet, but I plan on going soon. _

_ This place is just like the ones described in your favorite books, it’s really old and it’s full of relics of the past. It’s terrific. _

_ I’ve met this young man called Yang Jeongin. He was in charge of guiding me through the castle and has been helping me adapt to the castle’s routine since my arrival. Jeongin is very thoughtful and dares I say, I believe we have become good friends. I also met Felix Lee. He is a law student and wants to help as many people as possible. He has the habit of pulling me into his odd activities. A few days ago he wanted to go fishing even when it was about to rain! But it’s good to be around him. _

_ Tell me everything that happened since I parted, all of it, even the small and boring details. I know how chaotic everything has been, but I hope that you, my dearest cousin, are doing well. _

_ Sincerely, Jisung.” _

He folded the paper and put it in an envelope, planning on sending the letter by the next morning.

†

When Jisung opened his eyes that morning, he was met with a strange sight; a small creature was staring at him with its tiny black eyes. 

His first reaction was to just stare at the little creature, too tired to differentiate dreams from reality. What made him sure it wasn’t a dream was the grey fur that was itching his nose. Jisung sat at the bed, holding the animal carefully and wondering where it came from. 

He heard someone knock on the door. Not knowing what to do about the animal, Jisung hid it in his pocket and opened the door. It was Felix.

“Oh, good morning!” he said. His hair was a mess and he still wore his pajamas. He looked concerned. “I apologize for waking you up so early, it's a very important issue.”

“I suppose so,” Jisung said. “How can I help you then?”

“My pet, a small chinchilla, ran away!” Felix explained. “When I went to see her this morning, she was gone!”.

The small creature in Jisung’s pocket moved and he understood what was going on. Carefully, he took it out of his pocket, showing it to Felix, who smiled brightly at the animal. 

“Kiki!” he exclaimed, taking Kiki into his hands brushing his face onto her fur. “You scared me! Oh, thank you so much, Jisung! I don’t know what I would do if I had lost her.

Jisung looked at Kiki again, smiling at how happy she seemed to be in her owner’s hands.

Felix went back to his room and shortly after, both met in the hallway. It was time for breakfast and Jisung was starving. They sat next to each other and Jisung served himself some porridge. Jeongin appeared, sitting in front of them.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” he said.

“Good morning,” Felix said Jisung’s mouth was full.

“Have you received your invites to this week’s ball?” Jeongin asked. “I received mine this morning.”.

“Oh, yes, mine came this morning as well,” Felix told him, turning to his friend. “What about you, Jisung?”.

“Uhm, I… I haven't checked my mail yet,” he said, not looking up.

“Don’t worry, you were probably invited too.”

“I really enjoy these kinds of events, the food is always delicious.” Jeongin smiled. “It also helps to distract me from all the boredom of my daily life, don’t you agree, Jisung?”.

Jisung looked up at him and tried to smile.

“Well, I have many things to do today, so I’ll have to leave your two for now.” the other said, standing up. “See you soon.”.

“You don’t look so excited,” Felix said as soon as Jeongin left. 

“Of course I am. I love… Parties and social interactions.” he lied. “I really do!”.

Felix stared at him for a moment but smiled and changed the subject.

†

Jisung stared at the darker clouds in the sky and asked himself how it could be so dark and it was practically mid-day. He also wondered how a place could have so many clouds but never a single ray of sunlight.

In that afternoon as cloudy as the others, Jisung decided to take a break from his textbooks and spend some time alone. He was sitting in the grass, away from the castle, near the forest, from a spot where he could take a good look at the beach and draw the landscape.

It has been already a few weeks since Jisung arrived, but he still felt just as uneasy as he felt the moment he passed through the gates. Jisung could not name what, exactly, he was feeling, and, to be sincere, he did not want to know, so he just ignored it.

Perhaps a walk at the beach could make him feel a little better. He put his notebook in his inner pocket and stood up. The feeling of the gravel beneath his naked feet was good and the silence was tranquilizing, the complete opposite of the chaos of the Capitol. He could breathe.

Jisung remembered the days prior to his departure. The cold look of his father, the indifference, the lack of any expression and the affliction that gnawed him. He imagined that being so far away from the Manor would be worse than being inside, and how surprising it was when he noticed that, the farther he was from that house, the more relieved he felt.

By looking back at the castle, its walls standing out from the green of the forest, like a misshapen creature sitting on top of the hill, watching, Jisung remembered his habit of imagining that buildings were actually enormous animals and that people lived inside their guts. The walls were the body, obviously, the towers, the horns, each window, an eye, and the gates were the mouth. Jisung giggled at the thought of living inside a monster.

It was getting late and he had to go back. There were many books he had yet to read.

He stared at the lake one more time before turning around and leaving.

†

A crow landed on the shoulder of the stone knight, its eyes staring at Jisung as if they knew something that he was unaware of. He stared back at the bird for a moment before crossing the courtyard and sitting next to Felix under a tree. 

“Sorry for being late,” Jisung said.

“Don’t worry, I just got here,”. Felix said. “It’s quite a nice day, isn’t it?”.

“It sure is.” The clouds weren’t as dense as usual, a few rays of sunlight escaped here and there. That was probably the sunniest day Jisung had ever had since his first day there.

“I was watching the crows right before you came,” Felix told him.

“You study them?”.

“No, I just find them comic.”.

Jisung took his notebook out to try to draw the crow, but when Jisung looked at it again, a memory flashed before his eyes.

Jisung was in his room in the Manor. Through the window, he stared down at the garden, watching the men cutting the bushes into different shapes. A crow landed on the small statue of cherubim over the pond. The crow stared back at him, the poor boy trapped in his own house.

“Jisung?”.

He blinked and came back to reality.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”.

“I was talking about the ball,” Felix said. “I was planning on going to the tailor tomorrow morning, would you like to accompany me?”.

“Ah, yes, I would.” 

Felix looked at him.

“You don’t seem to be very fond of the idea,” he said then. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”.

“I want to! I actually need some new clothes…”.

“I was talking about the ball…”.

“Oh…”.

“You were invited, no one is forcing you to go,” Felix murmured. “I’ve noticed your discomfort when Jeongin mentioned it.”.

Jisung sighed.

“I’m not good at… Social situations. I have never been.” he said. “I want to go, but I don’t know what I should do.”.

“I thought that there were balls all the time in the Capitol.”.

“And there are! Every week there's a ball, a picnic, a soirée, all sort of… Gatherings. But my family rarely went to any of those, my father wasn’t interested in such trivialities…”.

“I see, but there’s nothing to be worried about here. It’s easy to learn what you should do at a ball. You will certainly learn everything with ease. Well, with a teacher as good as me, it’s impossible not to learn.”.

They both smiled. Surely, having Felix by his side at the ball would be of great help, and obviously, make it way more interesting.

Later, Jisung decided to go to the library and return a few textbooks. On the way there, an odd feeling made him shiver and he faltered. It was subtle, a feeling that someone, or something, was watching him. That feeling was not new and had been haunting him since the beginning, but like everything else in that castle, Jisung believed it was nothing to worry about, until that instant.

The moment he stepped at the last step of the stairs, the feeling was so intense he could feel the presence right behind him, lurking.

Jisung looked around, looking for something, anything, that could prove him wrong, and was surprised by the sight of a gargoyle on the top of the stairway. He hadn’t noticed the statue before and could swear it wasn’t there five minutes ago, but that was not possible. The gargoyle had its mouth wide open, the stone teeth showing in a predatory way, its claws pointing directly at Jisung, staring. Watching.

When he turned back around, he saw Jeongin.

“Oh Dear Lord!” he exclaimed, surprised. Jisung let out a sigh, relieved to see a familiar face. “You scared me! I didn’t see you there.”.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, I should’ve been more careful,” he said then. “Where are you going?”.

“To the library,” Jisung said, showing the textbooks in his hands. “Are you going there too?”.

“Oh, no, I’m actually coming back to my room… It’s been a while since we could talk, I’ve been so busy lately I was not able to stop. Tell me, how have you been?”.

“Oh, me? I’ve been as good as always.” Jisung said. “I believe I’ve memorized almost all hallways by now.”.

"That’s lovely. I’ve been here for years and I still get lost sometimes.” they laughed. “Well, I have to go now, I have so much to do!”.

“We could drink some tea later when we both have some free time.” the other suggested.

“Surely, I’d love to! See you soon, my friend.”

Jisung watched as Jeongin walked away. Another shiver crossed his body, he stared at the gargoyle once again before making his way to the library.

†

The sound of Jisung’s fingers hitting the typewriter keys was loud. Many times his father had complained about how noisy that machine was, that Jisung should write with pen and paper like everybody else, but Jisung never cared. He found that sound quite relaxing.

When he finished writing his article, Jisung left the typewriter aside, stretching his arms. However, he still had one more thing to write; a letter.

This time, he had to write a letter to his father. It wouldn’t take long, his father hated long letters, he probably wouldn’t even use half of the paper and go straight to the point.

Then, why was it so hard to even start?

Only two words could be read on the paper.

_ “Dear father…” _

He stared at then, thinking about what he should write next. He knew his father wouldn’t be interested in any of the things he wanted to write about. He wouldn’t care about the strange weather, the weird portraits hung on the walls, the food, or the beach. He wouldn’t want to read about his friends and how nice they were.

Jisung took a deep breath and kept going. All he had to do was go straight to the point. He wrote about his classes, his teachers, a few medical terms here and there and just like that, he was done.

Not even half of the paper.

He took a bit of wax out of his drawer, melting it with a candle and sealing the letter with it, marking the wax with his family ring. When it dried, he brushed his fingertips over the symbol left by the stamp; the intricate design of an eagle holding the letter ‘H’.

The sudden knocks on his door surprised him. As he opened it, he saw Felix standing right in front of him.

The other looked at him and frowned.

“Why are you wearing your day clothes?”.

Jisung’s eyes went wide as he realized what time it was.

“I am so sorry! I completely forgot, oh God…” he said, running around the room looking for his suit. “I will be ready, just give me a second…”.

“You don’t need to panic, Jisung, we still have time!” Felix exclaimed, walking in. “I just thought I should come here a little earlier so we would arrive on time.”.

“Alright then,” Jisung said, trying to put on his pants. He put on the vest and his coat, the only item left was his tie. “I can’t find it! I can’t find my tie! Oh Dear Lord…”.

“Do you mean, this one?” Felix asked, grabbing the white bow tie from the hanger inside the closet. Jisung sighed and grabbed it, nervously trying to tie it correctly and failing. “Calm down! Let me help you.”.

Felix quickly tied it around his neck and Jisung was impressed. He always struggled to tie a tie properly for way too long.

“How do you....”.

“Years of practice, my dear. Are you ready?” Jisung nodded. “Then I believe we should go.”.

They walked together to the ballroom. They stopped right before entering, Felix looked at him.

‘Are you nervous? You can give up if you want.” he asked.

“No, I won’t.” the other replied. “Shall we?”.

Felix smiled brightly

The ballroom was way larger than the dining hall and it was already full of people, all dressing impeccably, chatting, and enjoying their time. The place was decorated with sophisticated flower arrangements, statues, and tapestry. Jisung felt his hands starting to sweat.

He observed the people around him, their extravagant garments, and arrogant posture. The sight was quite familiar, reminded him of the few parties his family forced him to go, and proceeded to ignore him the entire night. Yet, there was something different, the atmosphere was… Strange. Maybe it was the weather, or, perhaps, it was the extremely sweet scent of this lady’s perfume that made him dizzy.

Even so, Jisung didn’t have much time to wonder about what was the difference between that ball and the ones at the Capitol; Jeongin appeared with a glass of wine in his hand.

“You came! I didn’t see you when I arrived so I was worried,” he said, smiling. “Come, I want to introduce you to some people.”.

Jeongin pulled them around the ballroom, introducing them to his many friends. Jisung tried his best not to show how nervous he was. He tried to smile, nod, and mimic everything Felix was doing.

To compensate for his lack of social skills, Jisung would always accept a glass of wine whenever he was offered one, and ate every appetizer that came his way just so he wouldn’t have to speak. Apparently, it was easier to just listen to the monologues of arrogant old men rather than try to talk to them.

At a certain moment, a young man approached the group.

“This is Hwang Hyunjin.” Jeongin said. “It’s a very good friend of mine! He has been studying abroad and I’m glad I can finally say he’s back.”.

Hyunjin was tall, was good-looking, and graceful. His hair was pitch black, contrasting with his surprisingly pale skin. His voice was sweet and he spoke eloquently, like a prince would, or even better. Jisung found it very hard to look away from someone as charming as he was, and only stopped looking at him when Felix poked his ribs. Jisung decided to stare at a flower arrangement for a while.

In the next instant, something caught his eye: a distinguished gentleman walked in, but he was not the only one to notice his presence. All eyes were over him.

He wore the finest garments and was, undoubtedly, very handsome. So handsome all the ladies wouldn’t stop complimenting him. The man crossed the ballroom without talking to anyone, just watching the people dance.

“Who is that gentleman?” Jisung asked Felix.

“Oh, that is Lee Minho,” he replied. “He’s new in town and is studying here, from what I've heard.”.

“I have never seen him before, and yet, everyone seems to know him.”.

“It’s because you’re so busy with your textbooks you end up losing all the gossip.” Felix giggled.

Behind them, a small group of young ladies was chatting about the newcomer.

“I heard he just came from France.” said one of them. “And that he is very rich.”.

“Well, I’ve heard from Cecilia that he came from Florence!” the other said.

“Marie told me he comes from London.” a third one told. “And that he’s a wonderful dancer! He dances so well, with so much grace that if he and his partner were holding a candle on their hands, the flame wouldn’t even flicker even if they dance all through the night!”.

They giggled and opened their fans to pretend they weren’t staring. Jisung wondered how a person could be so good at dancing, that their reputation would precede everything else.

Minho stood near a window, drinking from a glass of wine while he observed the couple twirling around the saloon. Jisung was still intrigued by him.

“Aren’t you going to dance?” Felix asked.

“Oh, no, I’m not a very good dancer,” he said.

“It’s a shame because I’ve noticed a lady has been staring at you for a while now.” Felix whispered, indicating with his eyes where she was. Jisung saw the lady on the other side of the ballroom, the fan opened before her face. She noticed he was looking and pretended she didn’t see anything. “She’s very pretty.”.

“Indeed. So pretty she deserves to dance with someone who actually knows how to dance.” Jisung muttered, looking away.

“You could at least talk to her.”.

Jisung stared at his friend, who smiled. He took a deep breath and walked towards the girl.

“It's a wonderful evening, isn’t it?” he said, smirking.

The lady turned to him, but her eyes were cold. Her fan was still open, but instead of flirting, she now seemed to be hiding behind it. 

“It is, indeed,” she said. 

“A perfect evening for dancing.” he continued. 

“Surely.”.

“Have you tried the red wine here? It 's delicious.”.

“No, I haven’t tried it yet.”.

There was silence for a few moments, Jisung’s cheeks getting warmer by the second.

“Excuse me…” he heard her say, waiting expectantly. “Are you a friend of that gentleman wearing blue?”

Oh…

She was talking about Felix.

“Yes, I am,” he told her.

“Oh, wonderful! Could you please tell him I’m waiting for the next dance and I need a suitable partner?” she asked.

“Yes, surely.”.

The lady smiled and left.

Jisung stood there for a few minutes, trying not to let what just happened to get to his nerves. His cheeks were bright red, he realized as he saw his reflection on one of the many mirrors hung on the wall, and he wished that a hole opened in the middle of the floor, so he could jump to never be seen again. A few guests that were around, and probably heard what happened, were giggling. They could be talking about something entirely different, but Jisung’s mind convinced him that he was what they were laughing at.

He sighed. It was just a small misunderstanding, nothing to worry about, right? Jisung repeated to himself. He and Felix were together the whole time, it was understandable that he was confused. He grabbed another glass of wine.

“I apologize, but I couldn’t help but hear.” said someone.

Jisung turned around and saw Lee Minho by his side, holding his glass of wine. Now that they were closer, he seemed even prettier, intimidatingly handsome. 

“It was quite difficult not to,” Jisung said, playing with a petal that fell from the flower arrangement. 

“I hope you forgive me for laughing then,” Minho said.

Jisung cleared his throat.

“Well, it was… Comical, surely,” he muttered. He needed more wine. “I can’t deny it.”.

“If you let me, I advise you to stop staring at strangers and pay more attention to your surroundings.” the other said, drinking a bit more wine. Jisung looked at him, a bit confused. Minho’s smirk and arched eyebrow made it clear.

“I do not stare at strangers. And I pay a lot of attention to what is around me, I’m an observer.” he clarified.

“A great observer, I presume.” the sarcasm in his voice was clear as day. “If you really were that observant you would notice how many people in this ballroom would love to dance with you.”.

Jisung laughed, looking at him from the corner of his eye and then watching the rest of the saloon. The third dance was about to begin.

“By the way you speak, I could almost imagine that you were one of them,” Jisung said. Minho leaned closer, enough that only Jisung could hear him.

“Do you find yourself so attractive that even I would want to dance with you?” he asked.

Jisung stared at him, not understanding if he was being serious or not. Minho’s eyes were as dark as the night outside the castle and as deep as the abyss. It was impossible to decipher them.

But either way, that was not his problem.

“Me? Oh, not at all” he replied.

Jisung noticed the look on his eyes shake a little, his sarcastic facade cracking, and for the first time since that dialogue had started, Jisung walked away with a satisfied smile on his face.

The night went by with no other problems. All guests were dancing, drinking and having fun, while Jisung desperately tried to feel less like an outsider. His tie was a bit tight, the new shirt made his skin itch, and the words wouldn’t come out the way he wanted. He felt bad for making Felix try to make for it all the time. Maybe if he was more like Minho, things would’ve been easier.

Another servant passed by with another tray of wine. Jisung took one glass and looked, quite amused, at the drink that had a singular glimmer under the lights of the saloon.

“Haven’t you drunk too much already?” Felix asked.

“Don’t worry. I don’t get drunk that easily, I’m quite strong when it comes to alcohol, you see.” Jisung said. “My father had a cellar at the Manor, I already knew how to drink when I was fourteen years old.” he took a sip of the wine, the citric and quite bitter taste making his tongue a bit numb.

Felix nodded but didn’t really trust his words.

“Professor Kinsley!” they heard Jeongin say, smiling at an old man near them. “I’d like to introduce him to you, Felix.”.

“I think me and Jisung should get back to our rooms, it’s late and we have many things to do tomorrow,” he said.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Felix. I told you I’m fine.” Jisung giggled. “I’ve got Hyunjin.”.

“Yes. I can stay here and you can go talk to Professor Kinsley.”.

Felix smiled, a bit hesitant, and left.

Hyunjin distracted him from grabbing another glass of wine by taking him to the balcony. Jisung protested but it was hard to say ‘no’ to Hyunjin when he smiled so beautifully.

He leaned over the balcony, the cold breeze making him feel less numb. His eyes ran all over the property. The darkness outside was so intense it was almost palpable.

Hyunjin was talking about something involving alcohol and stopping his friends from doing something they would forever regret, but Jisung was not paying much attention, only hearing a few words here and there. His head was throbbing, his throat was sore and his legs didn’t respond to his commands.

“Jisung, look!” Hyunjin said, pointing towards the sky.

Jisung looked up and saw the moon, shyly appearing amongst the rainclouds, shining so bright that all the darkness surrounding the property dissipated. The howling of a lonely wolf, far away, was heard.

Suddenly, Jisung saw the world sway around him and the ground shakes beneath his feet. Hyunjin noticed his state and quickly ran to find some water to sober him up. Jisung sat on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to ground himself.

Hyunjin came back.

“God, do you feel better?” he asked, visibly worried.

“I believe it’s time I get back to my room,” Jisung admitted, Hyunjin nodded.

“I’ll accompany you then.”.

“There is no need to bother, you should go back and enjoy the rest of the night,” Jisung said, tapping the other’s shoulder. Hyunjin stared at him, he seemed to be fine, but he wasn’t so sure. “I can go back on my own.”.

“Are you sure?”.

“Yes. Go back and tell Felix I went to sleep a little earlier.” Jisung smiled and left.

The hallways felt colder than usual, and darker too, but they were still the same and Jisung was certain he would be able to go back to his room with no problems. He was starting to regret drinking so much, blamed himself for being such a burden to his friend, and swore he would never drink more than two glasses of wine in one night. A voice on the back of his head said he was lying.

After walking for a few minutes, he could hear a muffled sound coming from a different hallway. He stopped and kept quiet, trying to figure out what was that sound; whispers and heaving. At each step, the more Jisung felt like he was not supposed to be hearing what he was hearing, but curiosity took over him and he hid behind a statue, watching what was happening in front of him.

There were a man and a woman, their bodies tangled, kissing each other. They were so grappled that it took Jisung a moment to realize they were two different people. The man leaned over the woman, whose gown was open, letting her undergarments and bare chest visible. He kissed and cling onto her aggressively, making her moan at each touch. However, Jisung noticed with fear that the man was not kissing the woman; he was actually biting her flesh like a beast eating their prey. The blood ran down her neck, staining her chemise, even so, instead of screaming and asking for help, the woman was laughing.

Jisung was so terrified no sound left his lips. He turned around and ran in a different direction, as far as he could. The torches were not enough to light up the way. Jisung felt like the darkness was swallowing him.

He wandered around for a while, until the moment he saw he was not getting anywhere and realized he was lost. He did not recognize those hallways, and yet, they all looked the same. He has been walking in circles all along. Jisung tried not to panic and kept going. There was no way he would wander forever without ever finding something other than another hallway, but after not finding anything, Jisung felt suffocated, as if the walls wore closing around him. The world was swaying again. Despair took over his heart, and his lungs stopped working properly.

He had to go back urgently. He needed to get rid of those tight clothes and sleep for an entire day, only then he would finally forget that awful nightmare. 

Jisung ran, and the more he ran, the more lost he was until his legs completely gave up and he fell, hitting the ground abruptly. His chest burned like embers and his head throb like there were hammers hitting the inside of his skull. He felt trapped.

Suddenly, he heard steps, coming closer and closer.

“What…?” he heard someone say. The voice sounded familiar but he had no idea who it could be. His sight wasn’t clear and Jisung could feel his conscience leaving him. “God, what is wrong with you? You’re sweating…” Jisung felt calloused hands take his face with so much kindness his eyes were full of tears; he hadn't felt kindness in such a long time. “Come, let’s go back to your room.”. an arm held his waist and lifted his body. His legs did not respond. He groaned, his head hurt so badly he could not think.

He tried to look up and see who was that person, but the sudden move made him even weaker. The voice was now distant as he closed his eyes. “Oh God, don’t close your eyes, no, no, no!” he heard them say as he collapsed.

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! hope u guys liked this! i'll be posting this story both in English and in Portuguese (my native language), so it may take a while to upload this version, since I have to write it all in Portuguese and then translate it. 
> 
> if anyone would like to talk to me, my @ on twitter is @anaquarelle (my art acc) and @666denji (my main)
> 
> bye~
> 
> p.s.: if you find any grammar mistakes, please let me know! english is not my first language :p


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